The Celtic Knot
by Neelie2009
Summary: An accident an Hogwarts causes Severus Snape to make a startling discovery about his colleague Minerva McGonagall. A discovery that leads to intrigue, intrigue that leads to a relationship, and a relationship that leads to serious complications both before and after the events of The Half Blood Prince.
1. Chapter 1

**The Celtic Knot**

A/N: This is a Severus Snape/Minerva McGonagall story. While there will be some other characters they will have very minimal parts. The story starts towards the end of _The Order of the Phoenix_ and takes it through till the end of _the Deathly Hallows._ The story is rated M (for a reason ;). I am having a blast writing it (I have quite a few chapters outlined already) so I hope that you take some pleasure in reading it.

 **Chapter 1 – Fire Starter**

Minerva was strolling the corridors of Hogwarts on her weekly night shift when she smelt an awful burning smell coming from the corridor in a mostly unused wing of the castle. She quickened her pace and as she turned the corner and she saw flames teasing there way under the door jamb of the room of requirement. Before she had time to act the tapestry that hung in front of the room of requirement went up in a great blaze.

Minerva grabbed her wand and began to cast spells on the tapestry to control the blaze. She yelled "Fire" and "Help" a few times as she realized that the fire had gotten very large, very quickly and she might not be able to put it out herself.

Severus was walking a few corridors away when he heard her scream. He broke into a run and was on the scene with his wand out just as Minerva had extinguished what was left of the tapestry but now the fire had spread to the roof of the corridor. Severus redirected his spells to the ceiling but before he could make any headway they both heard a crack and in a blink of an eye one of the ceiling beams came crashing down. Severus and Minerva each took a step back but as the beam hit the stone floor it fractured into a few pieces and the edge of one large splintered piece hit Minerva in the stomach and she fell immediately to the ground.

She screamed in agony when it hit her and Severus rushed to her side. When he looked down at her he saw that the splintered end had essentially stabbed Minerva in the abdomen and she was beginning to bleed heavily from her stomach. As he knelt down beside her the sprinkler charm was activated as enough heat and smoke had now filled the corridor. Snape tried to focus on his bleeding colleague at his feet while the fire continued to rage and the sprinklers were pelleting him with water.

He placed his wand near her stomach and muttered " _Diffindo_." Minerva's dress split open to allow him to access the wound. She seemed to barely noticed that the front of her dress and bra were now open exposing her naked chest to her colleague as she was focused on trying to not pass out.

Severus was also immune to the fact that she was half naked before him, mostly because the skin that was exposed was covered by blood, a beam, and water making for a slurry mess. He was also too focused on the task at hand to take notice. He knew removing the edge of the beam was going to hurt like hell and possibly make a larger incision on its way out of her stomach then on the way in but he needed to act fast to stop the terrible blood loss she was experiencing.

He muttered a series of incantations that abruptly jerked the beam free. Minerva screamed again but as soon as it was clear of her wound he muttered another incantation and sealed the wound. She lay weak and panting. Severus used his wand to conjure a shield over her so that he could assay the damage. The water had washed a lot of the blood away and when he looked at the wound, what his eyes were drawn to instead caused him to freeze. He stared at her in utter astonishment. On his rule-following, do-gooder, stern colleague's chest was a large, intricate, Celtic knot tattoo that ran from her breast, down her sternum, and beyond.

Minerva was conscious enough to realize what he was staring at and even though Severus Snape usually kept his emotions rather close to the vest she could see the look of shock and wonderment on his face. She had kept her mark hidden for so long that often times she would forget it was even there. She tried to grab for the ends of her dress to cover herself but she was too weak and her dress was too torn. At that moment you could hear a bunch of footsteps rounding the corner. Minerva looked at Severus with a pleading look in her eyes. He understood immediately that this was not something she wanted to share so he took off his robes and covered her up with them. She tried to form words to say thank you but she was so light-headed that all she had the strength to do was press the palm of her hand to his cheek as a silent thank you. It was a brief but intimate gesture. Their eyes met and when Severus nodded his head in acknowledgement she let her hand drop.

A group of Professors lead by Doloros Umbridge, the current head master of Hogwarts, rounded the corner and made quick work of the fire. Madam Pomfrey went immediately to Snape and McGonagall's side. She made a move to reach for Snape's robes to see the damage but Severus stopped her saying "the wound is stable, I will bring her to the infirmary for you." Madame Pomfrey was always a little intimidated by Snape so she let him take charge of the situation. Minerva moaned as he slide a hand behind her back and another under her legs. He lifted her off the ground and began carrying her towards the infirmary.

Severus lowered her on a cot behind a privacy screen in the infirmary and as her body made contact with the bed she opened her eyes slowly. Severus just stared at her and it was unnerving. She wanted to stress to him the need to keep her secret but she wasn't exactly in a position to demand anything. Also, she knew Madam Pomfrey would now be made aware of her situation as well. She found the strength to lift a finger and place it over her lips in a gesture that said "Shh" to indicate that she wanted him to remain mute on the topic. He nodded his ascent and then got up to meet Madam Pomfrey as she entered the infirmary.

Snape grabbed Poppy's arm and dragged her to the corner away from any listening ears. "you must only examine the wound when you are alone" he said in a stern voice. "Of course" she muttered and tried to break free to attend to her friend. "I am serious, Poppy, for Minerva's sake please heed my warning"

She nodded her consent and quickly moved to Minerva's side. To Madam Pomfrey's surprise, Snape immediately exited the infirmary. Minerva's eyes were closed and she was about to pull the sheet down that covered her when a few other Professors entered the scene. "How is she, Poppy?" Flitwick asked.

Taking Severus's warning to heart she sent them all away letting them know she would update them all shortly but she and Minerva needed peace and quiet. When she was alone with Minerva she lifted the sheet and she immediately understood.

What she saw was a tattoo about two inches wide that ran the length of her torso. It that started at her left breast near her heart and undulated down the valley between her breasts, past her navel where it was interrupted by the three inch gash that was haphazardly sealed by Severus in the corridor. She could tell the mark ran past the incision but Minerva's clothes were still intact on her lower half thus obscuring the view. What she could see was beautiful. It was made up of tiny Celtic knots that intersected in a sensual way. She didn't have a chance to ponder who might have given that mark to Minerva when she heard Umbridge's footsteps and she quickly replaced the sheet and covered Minerva up with a blanket. Her questions and treatment would have to wait.

Severus made his way to his dungeons. Part of him wanted to investigate what dunderhead was responsible for the fire and expel the brat (he was hoping it was the Weasley twins) but most of his mind was occupied with the exquisite mark on Minerva's breast. What did it mean? Who put it there? When? Why?

He had been colleagues with Minerva for a decade and he considered her one of his closest acquaintances. Probably friends but Severus didn't dole that word around easily. He realized that in all those years, he still knew very little about her. He admired and respected her but that was based on the person she was now forgetting that she, like everyone else, had a past. A past she never openly discussed.

Hours later the Castle was still in a flurry about the fire. Umbridge was on the rampage and she had her inquisitor squad interviewing ever possible culprit or for anyone who had any knowledge about the incident. Severus was helping her in every possible way. He defended himself that he was doing it so that he could serve as a double agent between her and the staff, after all that is what he was good at. However, deep down he knew he was doing it for Minerva. He wanted the person responsible to pay. Unfortunately, he wasn't making any progress either. Umbridge was trying to pin everything on Hagrid and Snape knew that he was the least likely candidate. As the days dragged on there were plenty of other things to distract Umbridge. Between the stink bombs and the Niffler being released in her office, she had moved on from finding the fire starters.

Minerva was healing in the infirmary and Severus made a conscious decision to not visit her. Yes, he had a lot of questions but he knew the infirmary was not the time or the place. The side effect of the wait was that his questions on the origins of her tattoo started to obsess him.

When he laid his head on the pillow at night he tried to imagine what the tattoo looked like on her full naked body. He imagined a man tracing his wand up and down her body, over her breast, down her stomach, and beyond. He could feel his body reacting to the thought of her naked body. He felt drawn to her body, to her unknown story, to her past.

No one could ever replace the part of his heart and soul that was devoted to Lily but that still didn't prevent him from being attracted to other women. However, he found very few woman over the years that he was attracted too. Some would attract him physical and he had a few brief liaisons but no woman had attracted him mentally. Minerva was one of the few woman that came close to that but she was always strutting around in her high neck dresses and tight buns that he never took a moment to consider what lay beneath the robes. His mind spent the last few days focused solely on that he could no longer deny that he was very much attracted, both mentally and physically, to Minerva McGonagall.


	2. Chapter 2: Questions and Answers

**Chapter 2: Questions and Answers**

 _a/n: Thank you for the follows and reviews! It is motivating to know that you want to hear more. This chapter was super fun to write so I hope you like it. I forgot to mention that the idea of the secret tattoo came from the novel "The Birth of Venus" by Sarah Dunant._

Minerva had been resting in an arm chair in front of her fire. Madam Pomfrey had released her a few hours ago from the infirmary. She was feeling much better and she was contemplating joining the teachers for dinner in the great hall when she heard a short, crisp knock on her door.

As she opened the door she was not terribly surprised to see Severus Snape standing before her. They hadn't been alone together since the night of the accident and she felt her face flush a little in his presence. She knew he had questions for her and it was probably best to get them over with in the privacy of her sitting room then in front of the staff, or heaven forbid the students. Granted, she was not prepared to give him the answers to the questions he was most likely going to ask but she did want to give him the chance to inquire.

"So, you have come to check in on the invalid?" Minerva asked as she stepped into her room allowing him to enter . Severus hesitated slightly, in all the years he had been teaching with Minerva he had only crossed the threshold of her chambers a handful of times and usually in the company of Albus Dumbledore.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"I am" she said as she motioned for him to sit in the chair opposite hers by the fire. She wasn't surprised when he accepted her invitation to sit, they both knew he had much on his mind that he wanted to ask her about.

"I wanted to thank you again, Severus. If you weren't there, I am not sure…well…let's just say I am not sure what would have happened." She instinctively raised a hand to her stomach where the gash had been. Thanks to his potions, it was now only a slightly raised pick scar.

He simply nodded and tried to keep from staring at the top of her dress, trying ever so hard to get a glimpse of her intricate tattoo. He now understood while all her dresses were buttoned all the way up to her neck. She sat down in the chair next to him and let the silence fill the room. She wasn't going to bring it up if he wasn't brave enough to ask. Minerva instead busied herself with procuring tea for them both.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Minerva, we have known each other for quite some time now and yet, we know so little about one another" Severus said.

 _So, it was a heart-to-heart approach he was going to take_ , Minerva thought. "We are both very private people, I thought you preferred it that way?" she responded.

"I generally don't care enough to concern myself in other's affairs and you are right, I don't like to openly discuss mine" he began "Some people, however" he paused and looked directly in her eyes…."INTRIGUE me."

Minerva raised an eyebrow at him and sat in silence for a moment. She could admit to herself that she was similarly intrigued by Severus but she never imaged she could break through his walls and therefore she never tried. Severus had a giant "KEEP OUT" sign on the walls around him and he wasn't shy about parading that sign for all to see. If he wanted to peak into her secret garden then he needed to allow her to peek inside his.

"I must admit, Severus, I find you intriguing as well" she said. As she did the electricity in the room grew a little more pronounced. She raised her tea cup to her face to take a delicate sip but mostly it was an excuse to hide her eyes and break the tension.

Severus felt she was toying with him now. She was drawing him in and pushing him away all in one fluid movement. The sides of his mouth began to curl in an inward smile. There were very few people in this world that he would want, let alone allow, to toy with him in that manner. He wasn't sure why but with her, he took great pleasure in the game. He decided at that moment, he was going to sit here all night until he finally "won" the game. He wanted to know her story, her past, her pain, and most of all, he wanted to see her mark again. Even if he needed to let her in deeper than anyone else, he was willing to make that trade.

Her walls were just as tall and strong as his but they were more of a pleasant stroll through a park that looks so inviting but you can't seem to find the arch in the wall that lets you inside. It had been quite a long time since someone placed a gentle hand along that stone wall and slowly, deliberately, carefully traced their hand around the wall to explore its surface and find the hidden door. She felt Severus extending his arm, looking for a place of contact to start his journey along that wall. She had no plans of allowing him near or through the secret door, but for some reason she was not quite clear on, she wanted Severus to try.

Severus made a slow, deliberate gesture of filling his tea, crossing his legs, and rested his back on the chair. Once he felt he looked the picture of total relaxation he raised his eyes to hers once again and said "Ok, what would you like to know?"

Without a hesitation she asked "Why does Albus trust you so implicitly?"

Well, Severus was not prepared to answer that and his immediate reaction was the challenge her back "Why do you put so much faith in Albus's opinions?"

Minerva retorted "Why does my faith in Albus's opinion bother you so much?"

Severus held Albus in rather high esteem along with most of the wizarding community but for some reason he was a little bothered by Minerva's utter devotion to the man. Then it struck him, there must be much more to their relationship. That made him even angrier and his tone was very accusation when he asked "Is HE the one that gave you that mark?"

His question made Minerva roll her eyes and huff in frustration. "Why does everyone assume that there is more to our friendship than respect?" she said in a rather perturbed manner.

Severus smirked a little as he killed two birds with one stone. One, she was not or did not have an intimate affair with the esteemed Albus Dumbledore and two, as he suspected, the mark was a remnant of an intimate relationship. "So a lover gave you that mark" he said as he stared into her eyes.

"I never said that" she tried to counter but there wasn't much bravado in her statement to convince Severus that he was wrong. Minerva realized that the rapid fire questions were causing her to let her guard down so she stayed mute for a moment but she was having trouble meeting his eyes.

Severus tried a different angle "Who knows about your mark?" he asked.

Finally Minerva hit her limit and said rather forcefully " Stop! This is ridiculous. I am not playing a question and answer game with you all night." She stormed up and moved to the window.

They were both silent for some time. The tension in the room had died down. Minerva looked up to the stars, she had kept her secret protected from all other living souls. If she was going to share it, she never expected it to be with a man like Severus. However, the more she thought about it, she realized that she wanted to share it with him. She wasn't sure how to explain it, but with everything he had been through she felt he was one of the few people who might understand. Most of all, he was one of the few people that might forgive her.

She leaned on the ledge for emotional support as she said "Yes, he was a lover."

When he didn't respond she turned her head towards him and continued in a hushed voice that was barely audible "he was the most amazing and devastating thing that has every happen to me."

After a moment, She turned her whole body towards him and leaned her bum against the window sill. He was still in his chair but he was no longer relaxed. He was a rapt attention. The world has stopped spinning and they simply staring into each other's souls.

Severus's mind was moving at a frantic rate both trying to process the information and imaging a younger Minerva and an intense, emotional, physical, all-encompassing relationship with someone. Who was he, what was he like, what was she like, and all he wanted was more and more. He wanted the details of her life, he started to imagine her with a lover and he knew that she would be fire-storm of passion and lust. He started to feel a tightening under his ropes. He stood up immediately and moved to her side table where a bottle of fire whisky sat. He raised it up in her but still didn't utter a word. She nodded her head yes and he grabbed two glasses from the top shelf and moved back to the sitting area.

Instead of returning to the chair where he was sitting before, opposite of where she had sat, he placed the two glasses side-by-side on the table in front of the couch. He sat down, poured the whisky, and waited for her to join him.

She slowly moved away from the window sill and sat down next to Severus. It wasn't a large couch so there was very little space between them. She picked up the whiskey and took an inviting sip. She held onto the glass like a shield over her heart as she rested her back against the arm of the couch. She now had a little more space between them.

Severus still sat very straight but he turned his head to face her. He wanted to make this as easy as he could for her so he started with a simple question. "How old were you?" he asked.

Minerva appreciated Severus' approach. He could have asked "who" or "what happened" but he was starting with questions she would be comfortable answering. He was going to trace every inch of the wall before he knocked on the hidden door.

She crossed her legs to provide another barrier to his probing. She was going to answer him. She knew he was going to get the whole story out of her but she needed it to be this way. He needed to work for it. She needed him to work for it.

"I was not a naïve, impressionable young lass if that is what you are thinking. When I meet him I had been in love before and I would fall in love again after" she paused as she took another sip of her Whiskey. She loved the sensation of fire rolling down her throat. She rested the glass on her knee and stared at the rim. She could feel his glare and could sense that he was waiting for a better answer then then that.

She swirled the large ice cube in her drink and watched the whirlpool it created when her voice got much lower and took on a husky tone. "I was 35 when I met him"

When it was clear that she wasn't going to elaborate he filled his glass and topped hers off. He wanted her to relax so he mimicked her position by leaning back on the arm of the couch so there was a little more space between them. Their knees were close to touching but their bodies had space to breathe.

"That was during the first Wizarding War" he also could have said that was the year he became a Death Eater but he thought that wasn't going to help her open up.

"yes" she said and she took another sip. Severus watched her drink, watched her throat as she swallowed. His eyes followed her neck to where he knew the marking was inked onto her breast, sternum, and stomach. He wanted to trace it with his fingertips.

Minerva could feel him starting at her body. She realized that she wanted him to see her, to touch her, to…Merlin's Beard the whiskey must be taking its tool. But instead of putting it down, she brought it to her lips again and slowly, patiently, took another sip. He was staring at her lips now and she began to feel a dull ache between her legs.

She placed her glass down on the table as an excuse to shift her position to try and alleviate the slow ache. She uncrossed her legs, it didn't help much, so she crossed them again. She assumed he would mistake her restlessness for nerves in confiding her tale so she continued "It was a troubling time, no one knew whom to trust. A dark power was rising and everyone was taking sides, playing both sides, or just trying to get out of the way."

"I was alone, I had walked away from a potential great love of my life a few years prior and I was still in a dark place. He wasn't the light to pull me out, he was a battered, beaten, soul that I was drawn too."

It was after the words left her mouth that she realized that could easily describe her relationship with Severus. That only intensified the ache between her legs and a slow pool of heat began to form.

The way Severus began to look at her was making her a little lightheaded. She downed the rest of her whiskey, to build up the liquid courage to continue. Now she wanted to describe every detail to him. The way she felt when touched by a dark and mysterious man, she wanted Severus to want her the way her former lover had.

She no longer had a drink in her hand so she rested her left arm on the back of the couch. Her arms were long and they didn't quite reach him but it placed her inside his personal space. She used her index finger to trace the top of the couch as if she was running her finger down a man's chest. "We had a passionate love affair the summer of 1970. We would go our separate ways during the day, but come together at night in a storm of intimacy. Deep down, we knew that it would die abruptly and quickly so we savored each night together".

She paused again and this time moved her eyes from her finger to his face. Severus could feel her gaze but was not prepared to meet her eye. If he did, he was rather sure he would transition from undressing her with his eyes to undressing her with his hands.

Severus placed his glass on the table and again, copied her position. He draped his right arm on the back of the couch. There arms now overlapped but they still didn't touch.

"Why were you so convinced it would end so quickly?" he asked. They were both now staring at their overlapped hands.

Minerva took a deep audible breath, and held her head a little higher as she said "Because he was a Death Eater and I was training to become an Auror"

Severus eyes snapped instantly to her face. His stare was now more of utter shock. She didn't cower under his glare, not the brave Minerva McGonagall. "yes" she said when she saw his bewildered look "I knowing had a passionate affair with a follower of Lord Voldermort".

"Does Dumbledore know?" he asked.

"No, you are the only other living soul that knows?"

Severus wasn't sure why it mattered that she entrusted him with a secret that she hadn't shared with Albus but it DID matter to him. It mattered a lot.

The atmosphere in the room changed as the weight of Minerva's confession took hold. Severus felt empowered by her secret and his desire for her had never been stronger. He wanted to see her mark, he wanted to see her body, he wanted to connect with her soul.

There arms lay side-by-side on the back of the couch and he leaned his long fingers towards her upper arm and barely touching her skin he traced and imaginary "S" on her arm, similar to the shape he imagined on her chest. He heard Minerva's quick intake of breath as his fingers gently caressed her arm. "Did he brand you?" he asked.

His touch was like fire on her arm and her intake of breath sounded so loud in the otherwise silent room. She quickly reposed "no, he never hurt me in that way"

"He had already been branded with the dark mark when I met him but we never openly discussed it. On our last night together, I asked him if it hurt when he was marked. He said yes, it was part of the process, accepting the pain as a sign of loyalty and devotion. I then asked him to mark me with a sign of my loyalty and devotion"

At this point Severus was now running his fingers up and down the length of her arm in the pattern that matched the mark on her chest, at least what he saw of it. He was aching for her now and his erection was evident, Every word she uttered drew him more under her spell.

He took his shot "May I see it again?" he asked.

He held his breathe while waiting for her response. She pondered for a moment and then stood up and started to walk away. _Damn_ he thought, _I ruined it_.

She was about five steps from the couch when she turned around and asked "Are you coming or not?"

 _a/n: If you have the time, please review. Thanks!_


	3. Chapter 3: What lies beneath

**Chapter 3: What lies beneath**

 _A/n: Thank you somekindofwildgirl, SkathaScribbles, and risi for the reviews! I love hearing from all of you._

He never moved so quickly in his life as he followed her into her bedchamber. She removed her robes and sat on the edge of the bed. He wasn't sure what she wanted him to do but he followed suit and removed his heavy robes as well. He was wearing his traditional black trousers and jacket with a long line of buttons all the way to his neck. He was thankful it hung just over his manhood as his trousers were not doing a great job hiding his erection.

She was wearing a dress of dark green, he couldn't help thinking how she always wore dark green, the colors of his house. She also was buttoned up to the neck, but now he knew why she was always buttoned to the neck. He walked in front of her and she made no move to undo the buttons so he gently reached down and undid the first. She simply watched him with her eyes pleading him to continue. He had reached the fourth button which lay between her breasts and as he unbuttoned it, he let the back of his hands accidently rub against her nipples. They were hard and inviting and he could hear a barely audible moan escape her lips.

Beneath her dress he could just start to visualize her bra as he slowly pushed the top of her dress open. Black. Again, he approved of her color selection. He could just make out the top curve of the mark as it traveled in one direction under her bra on her left breast and in the other direction down towards her stomach. He would not be able to see much more from the position she was in.

She must have read his mind because she scooted her bum back about a foot and then lay prone on her back. To reach her Severus had to get on top of the bed. He placed his left knee on her right side and elevated over her. His face was even with hers but he kept about two feet of space between their faces. He was fighting with every ounce of his being not to rub his erection on her leg. He placed his left hand next to her head for support to keep himself elevated over her as he used his right hand to continue to undo the buttons on her dress.

He had gotten as far as her belly button when the scar from the wound he healed just three nights ago was visible. He used the scar as the excuse to touch her. He used two fingers on his right hand to trace the ridges of the scar from top to button. It ran from her belly button to about three inches higher. She shivered under his touch but she didn't stop him or flinch away. The scar transected the beautiful design on her chest and he let his fingers glide from the scar to the mark. Up her stomach and across her sternum and stopped when he reached the material of her bra.

Heat was emitted from her core to her breasts as he got oh so close to touching her nipples. She hadn't felt a lust and passion for a man like this since the mark was placed on her body. She didn't want him to stop. He was admiring the Celtic knots that weaved in a smooth pattern from her breast to her belly but he still saw only part of the picture. Thinking with her body and not her mind she lifted her right hand to her left shoulder and gradually, seductively, lowered her bra strap to reveal the top part of her breast.

Severus took the hint and pulled the left side of her bra below her breast revealing her half naked chest to him. He inhaled deeply as then traced his finger over the knots, over the top of her breast and down to her nipple.

She instinctively closed her eyes and then lifted her right hand up to his chest looking for some piece of material to grab. His coat was tight and buttoned so high that she essential had nothing to hold on to and instead just raked his chest with her nails.

Severus thought he was going to explode. He had to place his right hand on the other side of the bed to keep from grinding his erection up the length of her body. His face was even with hers and his black hair falling like a curtain on either side. In a low, long drawl he said " I need…to see…all of you"

It was not a question or a command but a matter-of-fact. She looked into his eyes and nodded her assent. She was rather sure she would not have been able to form words at the moment. Severus enjoyed the tension and sexual nature of undressing Minerva but now he needed to see all of her and quickly. He removed his wand from his pocket and placed it gentle on her stomach as he muttered " _Diffindo_ " and the remains of her dress ripped down the middle.

Minerva arched an eyebrow at him and finally found her voice when he favorite dress was split down the middle "Well, I am not sure that was necessary!" she said as she arched up onto her elbows.

"My apologies" he whispered with a smirk that clearly indicated he was not in the least bit sorry.

Their faces were now about two inches apart and she could see the lust in his eyes and she wanted him just as badly. There was a major problem though in that she was half naked, save for panties and her bra half on her, while he was fully clothed.

"You seemed a little over dressed for this event" she smirked back.

"Please" he began "feel free to rip off my clothes as well"

Since she was half-naked and thus, wandless she decided to take him up on his offer the traditional way. She reached up to the top button near his neck and she ran her finger over it. She didn't open it, she just caressed it, the then next button and so on as she trailed her finger down is black jacket. When she got the last button she opened it and reached inside and carefully ran a finger down his length. He closed his eyes and moaned as he pushed his cock into her hands. She ran her palm up and down as she watched his face.

He opened his eyes and saw her staring at him with a smirk on her face. He decided it was time to wipe that smirk off so he grabbed her forcefully by the back of her neck and drove his lips to hers. She was pressed firmly to the mattress and she was loving every moment of it. She lifted her hands from his body and ran them over his face and into his hair were she held on to the back of his head as he drove his tongue into her mouth. She worked her hands down his back and then tried to find a space to get her hands between them so she could remove the rest of the buttons. She was final able to get two hands on his shoulders and she pushed at him to break away.

He finally did and he narrowed his eyes at her in a look that bordered between lust and anger. She actually rolled her eyes at him and said "For Merlin's sake, take your clothes off!"

 _a/n: To be continued...reviews welcome!_


	4. Chapter 4 - The Morning After

**Chapter 4: The Morning After**

 _a/n: Thank you for all the follows and reviews. I am pumping out the chapters as quickly as my slow-moving brain can produce._

Severus woke a few hours later as the sun was just rising and it was shining through the bedroom window. He turned away from the window and almost jumped when he discovered his naked colleague asleep next to him. As he started to wake up, everything from the night before came back to him.

Minerva was laying on her back with a very twisted sheet barely covering her body. Severus grinned to himself when he thought about the sheet. It was amazing it was still intact. Their love-making had been passionate and to be honest a bit of a power struggle making the bed and nightstand look like a tornado had passed through. _Apparently Minerva was competitive in more than just Quidditch_ , he thought.

Since he was a little distracted by other activities last night he now took his time to marvel at the beautiful work both on, and that was, her naked body. He let his fingers trace the length of her mark from top to bottom. She stirred under his touch and inadvertently gave a soft moan. The sound had an instant effect on him and he wanted to become one with her again.

She opened her eyes as he moved to trace her nipple with his finger but he felt her body go tense and it seemed she had the same moment of panic that he felt when he first woke. She grabbed his wrist gently to stop his caresses.

He laid on his back and returned his head to his pillow giving her a few seconds to process everything. When she did she reached down to untangle the sheet and brought it up to cover her naked body. Severus was a bit annoyed and couldn't stop the negativity in his voice when he said "probably a little late for that".

She snapped her head towards "What, I am not allowed to be cold?"

"Cold, yes…embarrassed and regretful, no" he countered.

Leave it to Severus to tell it to her straight, those were the exact emotions she was felling. What came over her last night? She brought her forearm up to cover her forehead almost as if she was trying to hide. Severus took the hint and quickly got up grabbing for his clothes.

She realized a little too late how he might take her reaction and she called out "Severus, wait!" as he walked into her sitting room with his clothes in his hand. She quickly got out of bed and threw on her tartan robe and chased after him. By the time she got to the sitting room he had his trousers on and was putting on his shirt.

"Come back to bed" she pleaded. He didn't answer but continued to dress. He put his coat on but had none of the buttons done as he made his way to the door. Minerva grabbed her wand and pointed at him saying "Severus stop".

That finally got his attention. "Really, Minerva…you are threatening to hex me" he said as he brushed past her calling her bluff. She panicked for a moment as she didn't want him to walk away without listening to her. If he left now, it would take weeks, if not months to repair the damage. She ran to the door and pressed he back against it essentially blocking him from leaving.

He walked up to her and got nose to nose and simply said "move".

"No" she said "not until you take a moment and listen to me"

He continued to stare at her but he made no move to try and pry her from the door. She took a breath and meet his eyes, she could see the pain and hurt in them as well as the desire and anger he was feeling. She used her index finger to trace his jaw, trying to help him release the tension. He grabbed her wrist and held it in front of their eyes saying "don't play games with me Minerva" and he proceeded to push her out of the way and walk out her door.

She let him go. She had to. She still had no idea what she wanted to happen. Severus was her friend up until last night, one of her closest friends at Hogwarts. Not the kind of friend that you share idle gossip or the daily ups and downs of everyday life. She had Pomona Sprout and Poppy Pomfrey for that. Instead, he was the type of friend where you could share an entire conversation with a raise of an eyebrow or a slight nod of the head. They so often thought and felt the same about a variety of issues and their mannerism were so similar. They both kept their private life private and their feelings close to the vest…well, up until last night.

Minerva tried to block that out of her head as she started to get ready for the day. It was the week before exams began and the entire castle seemed to be on edge. Albus was still absent from the school and Dolorus Umbridge was running the show. What that actually meant was Minerva was running the real show and allowing the students full reign to drive Umbridge out of town. Unfortunately, she was going to have to crack down on that as she drew a line at setting fire to the school. She would need to have a quick word with the Weasley twins about less structural damaging distractions.

When she returned to her room to get dressed she had to collect her clothes from a variety of locations around the room. She couldn't help but smile at the memories of last night. She was always slightly attracted to Severus but she often assumed that was because the other options in the "potential desirable man" category were extremely limited at Hogwarts. Flitwick too goofy and short, Flitch too bizarre and unattractive, and despite rumors to the contrary, she was not in any way attracted to Albus. She loved and respected him greatly, but there was a certain father quality to him that prevented any sexual feelings. Lupin's one-year tenure, however, that she could entertain but there was the slight werewolf issue and she wasn't sure if a passionate affair with a werewolf was in her best interest from a health perspective.

Lupin made her think about Severus again, mostly because he hated Lupin with every ounce of his being. Minerva decided she better get to the great hall before Severus for breakfast and keep her wits about her. Breakfast, if nothing else, was going to be very interesting.

XXXXXXXX

Severus marched back to his dungeon quarters in quite a foul mood. Thankfully no one was in the corridors at this early hour so he was able to escape back to his chambers undisturbed. He needed some time alone to figure out what the hell just happened.

As he sat in his favorite arm chair he ran his fingers down the arm of the chair letting the soft fabric sooth him. Instead of relaxing him, he remembered how his hands ran up and down her body. He always knew she was a bundle of passion and she showed him that in spades last night. The sexual act itself was amazing but it was the touches and caresses in between that were a completely new experience for him. They were constantly kissing as if she was afraid to loose contact with his lips. His jaw was actually still a little sore, he had never kissed someone for hours before.

She had awaken feelings in him that he had buried long ago. He had experienced passionate sexual liaisons before, he had experienced respect and attraction for other women before, he had experienced obsessive thoughts about a woman before, he had even experienced gentleness and kindness from a few women in his life before, but he had yet to find them all in one person and all in one experience. When she shunned him this morning, he had been reminded of the feeling he had definitely experienced before, pain and disappointment.

If she wanted to bottle up the memory and bury it, well he could do that to. He spent a few moments to pull himself together, then he headed to the great hall for breakfast. He wanted to get their first, let her walk in and deal with the awkward situation.

The great hall was filled with chatter, it was a Friday and even with exams around the corner, the atmosphere on the great hall was always one of jubilee on a Friday. The two days without class was a relief to both teachers and students alike. When Snape walked past the house tables towards the head table he was shocked to see Minerva sitting there alone. So much for avoiding awkward moments.

He took up his usual spot next to her and for a few moments neither of them spoke. Severus busied his time with fixing his tea. Minerva was the first to crack. The Gryffindor, always having to display their bold and brave attitude toward life.

"Are you finally willing to let me speak" she said in an irascible voice. The gentle caresses gone, being replaced by tight bun, matter-of-fact, Minerva McGonagall that he was much more used to dealing with.

"Speak" he said in an equally terse manner while opening his palm and gesturing that the floor was hers.

"I fear we may have had a misunderstanding" she said

"And when did this misunderstanding occur, in the night or the morning, because it seemed to me that we were understanding each other quite well last night" he replied in a less aggressive tone. He took a moment to glance at her sideways and he smirked slightly at the color that had risen to her cheeks.

"Agreed" she muttered and took a sip of her tea to have a moment to compose herself. As she finished her sip there was Doloros Umbridge making her way to the head table. Minerva turned slightly to look at him, she didn't have much time to say what she needed to say. Severus turned his neck slightly so their eyes met.

"I am not playing games with you Severus, I just need a few days to figure out what this means and how it changes the future."

He nodded his ascent as Umbridge finally made her way up to the headmasters chair. She said "Good morning Severus" and as an afterthought "Minerva" They both returned her greeting and then breakfast continued mostly in silence.

 _a/n: I hope you don't mind that they are not living "happily ever after" after one night. In my head they are both stubborn people and I imagine their relationship more as a roller coaster. Let me know if you agree!_


	5. Chapter 5: Minerva verse Umbridge

**Chapter 5: Minerva verse Umbridge**

a/n: _The underlines passages are taking directly from "The Order of the Phoenix" as I am trying to make the story seamless with the books. Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter Saeshmea – I agree that they are both such complicated people that I can't envision them getting together and riding off in the sunset. I envision a rollercoaster ride…so hang on!_

Days had gone by and while Minerva and Severus were acting "normal" around one another, they still had not spoken about their night together, nor what it meant for their future.

It was the last evening of exams and Minerva was walking the corridors on patrol. The fifth years were taking their evening practical exam in Divination but the rest of the castle was quiet. As she moved towards one of the windows facing the forbidden forest she saw a handful of people making their way to Hagrid cabin. _Umbridge_ she thought _She is going to sac Hagrid_.

Knowing the personalities of Hagrid and Umbridge, Minerva knew this was not going to go smoothly. She hurried her pace to the entrance to the castle and started to make her way towards Hagrid's cabin. As she exited the cabin she could see red sparks flying everywhere as Umbridge and her crew were trying to hex Hagrid. Anger welled up inside her and she screamed "HOW DARE YOU!"

When the mayhem continued she marched further still yelling "LEAVE HIM ALONE." They were still paying her no heed.

The screams and commotion had been heard by almost the whole castle. Severus ran to a window to try and discern what was happened. He heard Minerva yelling "On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such-"

Then Severus's heart got caught in his throat as he saw four stunners hit Minerva in the chest. She was lifted off her feet, thrown to the ground, and lay there motionless. He sprinted to the entrance of the castle begging his legs to carry him faster.

In the remaining minutes it took him to get onsite Hagrid had disappeared into the forest and Doloros Umbridge and gang were licking their wounds and heading back up the castle steps. Minerva still lay motionless and not one of them made a move to attend to her.

Umbridge took his arrival as a sign of solidarity and said "He's gone, but thank you for coming" he still wasn't prepared to show his hand so he simply replied "I will attend to Minerva for you".

Doloros seemed to have forgotten about Minerva as she mumbled "Yes, yes, we should probably do something with her" as she made her way inside the castle.

As Doloros entered the castle, Severus ran to Minerva's side. She was knocked out but alive and the fear that had come over him had subsided slightly. He could have used his wand to move her to the infirmary but instead he wrapped on arm around her back and the other under her knees and he carried her, yet again, to Madam Pomfreys.

Minerva starting to come to as he carried her down the corridor of the castle. She threaded her arm around Severus back and tightened her grip. When they reached the infirmary he gently laid her on the bed. "Are you alight?" he asked.

She didn't respond right away but she reached out and held his hand. He realized she would need a few hours and some potion draughts before she could use her throat muscles for speech. Poppy came running over asking "What happened?"

Severus continued to hold her hand even in Poppy's presence as he brought her up to speed on the evening events. Her face was filled with shock but she was an experienced healer and immediately went into crisis control mode. She rattled off a list of potions she needed and laid out an action plan for the evening but recommended Minerva be moved to St. Mungos at first light. While she felt confident she could heal her friend, she wanted her as far away from Umbridge as possible. Severus agreed and made to get up to start on the potions.

Minerva kept a strong hold of his hand to prevent him leaving. Severus stopped and looked into her eyes and could tell she wanted him by her side. It filled his heart. Ignoring the fact that Poppy was standing right next to the bed, he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips saying quietly, "I'll be as quick as I can." He waited for her to nod her ascent and then left without a word or glance at Poppy and sprinted to his dungeon laboratory. Minerva glanced at Poppy and smiled inwardly at the priceless look on her dear friends face.

 _a/n: I know this one was short but I am almost done the next chapter and this was the best break. Please drop me a note if you have time._


	6. Chapter 6: Home

**Chapter 6: Home**

 _a/n: Hopefully posting two days ina row can make up for the short chapter yesterday! Review's welcome._

While Minerva recovered at St. Mungos the wizarding world was turned up-side-down. Harry and his fellow "Dumbledore's Army" students had been lured to the hall of Prophecies in the Ministry of Magic by He-Who-Must Not-Be-Named. Severus had alerted the order of the Phoenix in time to thwart Lord Voldermort's plan to steal the prophecy. Albus Dumbledore had now returned to Hogwarts and the ministry finally admitted that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had actually returned. Rumors abounded about Harry being "the chosen one".

Severus had to be very careful about his whereabouts now so he had only visited Minerva once in St. Mungos on the pretense that Dumbledore had sent him to update her on some changes at the school and to find out when she would be released. There were now eyes and ears everywhere and even though he got to see her, they were not at liberty to discuss anything personal or related to the order of the phoenix. Death Eaters, both old and new, were springing up everywhere. It was hard to know whom to trust.

With Minerva at St. Mungos, Severus spent the first few weeks of the term at Hogwarts. Albus was off on a special mission that he wasn't open to sharing with the Order. Whatever it was that he was doing, it involved some very dark and ancient magic. When he returned from his mission his entire hand was black and shriveled from a magical potion that was slowly eating away at the rest of his body. Severus was able to stop its progression but the damage had already been done and Albus was now on borrowed time. Albus swore Severus to secrecy about his soon-to-be lethal poisoning, secrecy from the Dark Lord, , from the Order of the Phoenix, and from the Hogwarts staff. It bothered Severus that he was going to have to keep this secret from Minerva.

Whatever "relationship" they may or may not have been starting it was very clear that now they needed to be extremely careful. She would be lucky if she had any time alone with him until the new school year began. Due to her recent injuries, Minerva would be summering at Hogwarts but Albus felt it best that Severus stick to his usual tradition of returning to Spinner's End, his boyhood home, so that he could move freely among the Death Eaters and use the time to find out more about the Dark Lord's new plans.

Severus spent most of the summer dealing with the rumors, started most likely by Bellatrix LeStrange, that Severus Snape was a Death Eater not to be trusted by other Death Eaters. Bellatrix planted the seed of doubt by pointing out that he was still at Hogwart's as Dumbledore's "man" and he didn't show up at the Ministry to fight against the Order of the Phoenix.

In addition to feeling the need to placate his fellow Death Eater, he also had to share his abode with Wormtail which left Severus little time to think about the other complication in his life, his passionate liaison with Minerva McGonagall. When he did allow himself to think of it, all he wanted to do was take her into his arms, kiss her, touch her, and become one again. He wasn't naïve enough to call it love but the thought of her put his mind at peace and his body on edge and he couldn't wait to see her again.

Minerva had a less complicated summer. She was off doing tasks for the Order of the Phoenix and getting things ready at Hogwarts for the upcoming school year, the castle was quiet with no students and very few teachers in attendance. Poppy had delayed her summer holiday for a few weeks to ensure that Minerva was in complete health and perhaps to see if Minerva would take her in confidence but Poppy respected Minerva's privacy and never eluded to the scene she witnessed in the infirmary. Minerva was grateful for not having to discuss it with anyone. She still wasn't sure how she felt and what it meant for the future.

All the alone time was making her overthink her night with Severus. Yes, she was attracted to him, yes they connected in an amazing night of passion, but a relationship? A lover? Both seemed out of the question. Especially now with Lord Voldermort back to full strength and calling on his Death Eaters more and more. It was not safe for him to enter into any type of emotional or physical relationship. She convinced herself that he would come to the same realization over the summer and they could resume their friendship.

XXXXX

Summer faded into fall and two months passed by without either Minerva or Severus seeing or speaking to one another. The next morning the students would be arriving and Severus had finally made his way to the castle. After deposited his things in his dungeon quarters he skipped out on dinner in the great hall to allow himself time to prepare his new Defense Against the Dart Arts classroom. At least, that is what he told himself because he wouldn't admit that he was nervous about his first interaction with Minerva.

He woke in time for breakfast and made his way to the great hall. All the teachers were assembled and talking excitedly about their summer holidays. When he entered everyone looked up as he strode across the hall. Albus was the first to great him followed by Flitwich, Poppy, Pomona, and then Minerva. He was a little put off that her greeting was no more sincere then her colleagues. Since he was the last to enter he didn't have much choice in his seating assignment and he ended up next to Slughorn on the far end of the table. With Hagrid on Slughorn's other side, he essentially was completely obscured from her view.

When breakfast ended she was deep in conversation with Albus, which angered him for some reason, so he stormed off without so much as a glance in her direction. He headed straight to his quarters and silently hoped she would make her way to his rooms before the arrival of the students later that evening. As the hours ticked on and she made no attempt at contact, Severus got more and more angry so by the time the students began to arrive, he was in quite a state.

To top it all off, Potter once again couldn't seem to get himself to the sorting ceremony on time so Severus had to meet him and Tonk's at the gate to the castle. Then, to pour more salt in the wound, Tonk's message was received by Snape in the form on her new Patronus…a wolf. From his work with the order of the Phoenix Severus knew Tonks and Lupin were becoming an item and having their relationship thrown in his face just irritated him further.

The combination of Minerva's avoidance of him, Harry Potter's arrogance, and Tonk's Patronus reminding him of Lupin, which reminded him of his arch enemy James Potter, had Severus in quite a state. He practically tore Harry Potter's head off (along with seventy point's from Gryffindor) at his late arrival. Knowing that screaming at Potter and taking points from Gryffindor would piss off Minerva was icing on the cake.

By the end of the first night he was pretty much hating the world and everyone in it. He poured himself a fire whisky and collapsed into his favorite armchair. That is when the knock was heard on the door. He knew it was her just by the sound of the knock, it has that combination of strength and confidence, yet was gentle which were the unique combination of characteristics that made up Minerva.

Too annoyed at her to get up, he pointed his wand over his shoulder at the door and opened it for her. When the door swung wide open Minerva asked "May I come in" before crossing the threshold.

"As you wish" he answered without bothering to turn around. He heard her footsteps as she made her way over to where he sat sulking. One look on his face and she could feel his anger and disappointment in her. In true Minerva style, she chose to fight fire with fire.

"70 points from Gryffindor! Really, Severus, that seems a little extreme even for you" she said as she stood opposite him.

"Clearly the boy has no concept of order and rules" he retaliated but in his calm subdued voice. Trying to hide the rage he felt inside.

"Did you even ask him why he was late!" she demanded.

He was disappointed in her for hiding behind "the chosen one". "Come off it Minerva, are you really here at 11 o'clock at night discuss house points" he asked while meeting her eyes.

Her eyes and lips both got thin and long and her anger was palatable. "Fine" she uttered in a low drawn out voice "what I want to know is why you are full of such anger and hatred and are scowling at everyone, including me!"

He retorted in a matter-of-fact tone "what I want to know is how you could possible see me scowl when you haven't set eyes on me since I arrived"

That seemed to get her even more angry as she exhaled loudly while rolling her eyes and started to march straight to his door.

As angry as he was with her the last thing he wanted was for her to leave. As she was about to cross the threshold he stood up, turned toward the door in a quiet but strong voice "don't leave".

It wasn't the words itself that made her stop but his tone of voice, it was a pleading request more than a demand. She turned and stood still as he made his way over to her. When he stood in front of her he reached for her hand and gently caressed her finger tips all the while never losing contact with her eyes. She was never that good at hiding her strong emotions and despite herself, her eyes stared to fill with tears. Fighting with him hurt. It hurt more than she had ever realized.

He laced his fingers through hers and brought her palm to his lips, the tears began to slip out of her eyes and travel down to her chin. She was afraid to use any words as she was sure her voice would quiver. Luckily, she didn't have to speak because he embraced her and allowed her to bury her face in his neck as he held her tightly to him.

They stood like that for a few minutes without speaking. Once Minerva felt she had control over her emotions she whispered in his ear "Welcome Home, Severus". He wasn't sure if he had ever heard anything sweeter. I did feel like home, in Hogwarts with Minerva's arms wrapped around him.

Months of separation and months of uncertainty, all of it evaporated in that moment. They didn't need to apologize and they didn't need to explain their actions to one another. After holding her in his arms for a few minutes, Severus placed a hand on each side of her face so that he was framing her face with his hands. She stared up at him and her eyes spoke volumes. She missed him, she wanted him, and she forgave him for acting like a brat the last 24 hours.

He rested his forehead on hers and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He didn't pull away but just stood there connected to her. She laced her fingers in his and then lead him to her bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7: The Past Revealed

**Chapter 7: The Past Revealed**

Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape were officially lovers. There was no other way to describe the first two months of the school term. They spent a few nights a week together, usually after one of them had evening patrol of the corridors where it was easy to slip in or out of one another's rooms.

Some nights they made love and some nights they just spent talking. Most nights, it was a combination of both. Severus showed more and more interest in her past and Minerva found it easy to open up to him. One day while sitting on her couch discussing her brief marriage he asked "How come you never choose to have children?"

Minerva made a sound like a "Hmph" and took a few minutes before answering. Severus was worried he pushed too far into her private world but she finally responded. "I always wanted children but I always had an excuse for why I wasn't ready."

She paused for a moment and when Severus stayed silent she explained further "I spent my twenties and thirties putting my career first, whether it was the Ministry and then Hogwarts. But mostly, to be honest, I spend my youth constantly fighting my guilt"

Severus looked up at her confused, when she didn't elaborate he asked "What were you feeling guilty for?"

She straightened her back to sit up tall. Almost as if she was making herself strong before battle. "I choose magic over love"

Severus turned his head slightly with a look of bewilderment on his face. Minerva knew she would have to explain further, it was yet another story she had confessed to no other person. She got up from the couch and walked over to stare at the fire. She drew strength from the flames.

"When I was 18 I returned to my home town and fell madly in love with a neighbor. He was a muggle but that mattered little, at least at first. We had a summer of passion and fun and I was beside myself when he proposed. I said yes in a heartbeat! I would have loved to have had children with him. After the excitement of our engagement wore off, I started remembering the despair of my mother. She kept her magic under wraps to live in a muggle world. The oppression of her magic filled her with grief. Her love of my father was not enough to overcome her depression. She married her true love and yet she was sad and lonely her whole life trying to be something that she was not. "

She turned to face Severus to see his reaction, she knew he grew up in a mixed household as well but his circumstances were much more dire, she was afraid he would think her petty and silly for complained about a mom that didn't smile enough.

To her surprise, he showed concern and he walked to her and grabbed her hands in both of his. "what did you do?" he asked. He was looking into her eyes but she needed to look away, still not at peace with her actions from her youth, she stared at the fire as she said "I broke his heart…and mine…and I ran back to London. Got a job at the Ministry, and put up a wall around my heart. I led myself to believe that I didn't deserve to love again. I wasted my youth on my guilt and I never allowed myself a second chance at love and thus, to have a family."

The emotion hit home for Severus, after loving Lily for so long and then being responsible for her death it had left him a broken man, full of guilt, and with walls around his heart that he thought were impenetrable. Minerva, he realized, was challenging that wall around his heart.

"What about your marriage?" he asked.

She hadn't shared this much about herself with anyone, even Pomona, but she really wanted Severus to understand, it was important to her. "I loved my husband, but not the way a woman should love a man. He was a wonderful companion and friend. He adored me from the moment we met and he had tried to marry me for years." She smiled when she said that, thinking of all his attempts to persuade her.

"After the fall of he-who-must-not-be named, I had seen and experienced so much pain and sadness that when he asked again, it was an attractive thought to spend a lifetime with someone who made me happy. He was intelligent and kind, he made me laugh, and he was madly in love with me. I was in my forties when we married so kids were still an option but he wasn't so keen on the idea. Then he died three years into our marriage so I was alone again and had to find a new way to fill the void."

"And how did you fill that void?" he asked

"Simply" she said with a smirk. "I entered into a highly physical and erotic relationship with a much younger man" she said as she placed her hand on his chest.

Severus felt his body react simply to the word erotic passing her lips and her hand making his way across his chest. He traced her lips with his fingers. "And did this…erotic…relationship fill the void" he asked. In response, she took his finger in too her mouth and sucked hard on it while nodding her head yes.

Severus brought his lips to her neck and sucked lightly. He then trailed kisses up to her ear and whispered in his deep hypnotic voice between kisses "I have some…erotic… suggestions… that might…help…even more" as he kissed her all the way into the bedroom.


	8. Chapter 8: Necklaces and Insults

**Chapter 8: Necklaces and Insults**

 _A/N: Thanks for hanging with me and I am sorry for the delay. The good news is I may have a lot of time for writing this week as I am on vacation and there is a giant hurricane barreling down on the house I rented! Damn you hurricane Mathew…._

As September rolled into October Minerva had shared a large part of her romantic history with Severus. From her first engagement where she choose magic over love in her twenties that left her with a broken heart, to her liaison with a death eater in her thirties that left her with a Celtic Tattoo, to her marriage in her forties that in three short years left her alone again. She did most of the talking about the past but with 25 years more life experience than him, she assumed he simply didn't have as many stories to share.

Severus would open up about his childhood in terms of his parents and his trouble fitting in at school but he kept his feelings for Lily a secret. He wasn't sure why, Minerva opened up about her former lovers but he in some way felt he was being disloyal to one or both of them if he spoke about his feelings for Lily. He supposed he was a little afraid that she would figure out that Lily was the reason he now found himself in a "double agent" life. He was not prepared to rehash all his guilt over that tragic night.

The double agent life was becoming a larger and larger problem in his developing relationship with Minerva. Dumbledore had sworn him to secrecy about the fact that Dumbledore was dying and that Severus had made the unbreakable bond with Narcissa to help Draco kill Albus. Dumbledore's crazy plan was that he wanted Severus be the one to kill him. Albus and Severus had just had a major argument over it.

In Dumbledore's opinion Severus would be killing a dying man, could satisfy the unbreakable bond, save Draco from losing his soul to the dark lord, and preserve his cover. What Dumbledore didn't account for is how this would destroy Minerva. It was all Severus had been thinking about lately.

Tonight was the night before the first Hogsmeade weekend and the castle was a buzz. Severus was able to slip into Minerva's rooms for a few hours that evening. "Will you be making the trek to Hogsmeade tomorrow" he asked. He was sitting in his usual place on her couch and she was next to him but turned so her legs were draped over his lap.

"I would but Mr. Draco Malfoy is serving his detention tomorrow. He has been acting insubordinate all year so I thought depriving him of his Saturday might be a better strategy to get him back in line".

The mention of Draco was like a bucket of cold water thrown on his face. He grew silent and sulky for the rest of the evening.

The next day arrived and Draco spent the afternoon in detention. Minerva was in her office when Hagrid came running up to the castle with a student screaming about her being cursed. He quickly explained that Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Leanna had witness Katie Bell being controlled by a cursed necklace and were now heading up the castle. Minerva wasn't surprise, whenever something out of the ordinary happened at Hogwarts the Potter "trio" was always involved in some way.

She ran toward the steps and quickly encounter the foursome, as they explained that Katie was cursed touching a necklace (which was now wrapped in a scarf) she knew Severus was the one who could help the most. He would be able to discern what dark magic was placed upon the necklace and that would help greatly in curing Katie. She sent Fitch to deliver the necklace to Severus as she brought the students into her office.

In Minerva's opinion, the most concerning part of the whole affair was Harry's overwhelming belief that Draco Malfoy was involved. Draco did come from a lineage of witches and wizards that were well versed in the dark arts but she could hardly believe that Draco would be involved in that. First of all, he had spent most of the day with her in detention but secondly, he wasn't exactly a stellar student and that level of magic, dark or not, was probably out of his realm. She was explaining as much to Severus that night when she came to his dungeon quarters.

"Of course Potter would blame Draco" Severus said. He was in a mood from the moment she walked through the door. She was surprised because Severus usually didn't get upset in crisis situations which is something she always admired in him. "If any students were involved it was most likely Potter and his sidekicks" he said with disgust. She was not about to get into yet another petty argument with him about Harry Potter. It was a bit of a sore subject between them so she tried to avoid it whenever possible. Severus just couldn't separate his feelings for Harry's father from his feelings for Harry.

To help ease the tension she walked over to him and ran her hand down his arm, he pulled away as if burned saying "Not tonight, I need some time to myself to study the necklace further" and he walked away into his laboratory leaving her standing there alone.

She was miffed but she decided to give him a pass. She clicked her tongue to help her control her anger and then she turned and left his chambers. She felt a little better after she slammed his door on the way out.

Severus put his hands over his eyes when he heard the door bang. His anger had been at a boiling point for the past three hours, ever since he was handed the necklace. He knew this must have been Draco's weak attempt to kill Albus Dumbledore. _What was he thinking trying to use other students?_ He realized he was going to have to offer his help to Draco now otherwise Draco might end up injuring or killing some other innocent person.

Severus had hoped that if he stalled, somehow the situation he was in would work itself out. His conscious self didn't want to admit it but he half hoped that the poison that had seeped into Albus's body would act quicker than he anticipated and death would come to Albus from other means. Then, he would get out of this without having to have a hand in Albus death, break his unbreakable vow, or destroy the relationship he had with Minerva. Now, it was impossible. He had come so far in his quest to rid his soul of his guilt over Lily that he couldn't let his liaison with Minerva distract him from his mission. _I need to end this and the sooner the better_ he thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

As October moved into November Severus became more and more withdrawn from Minerva. It saddened her, as she missed the "old Severus". All those petty arguments over the years were some bizarre seductive foreplay. He could match her in wit and sarcasm and his mind was part of the attraction for her.

For the last three weeks he barely spoke to her. She wasn't even sure if he was in the castle half the time At first she was angry at him but she kept her emotions in check. She knew that playing a spy among death eaters was eating away at him so she tried to give him space. However, when days turned into weeks she realized that their relationship was over. Then, she got angry again at his complete lack of courage of telling it to her face. She decided it was finally time to give him a piece of her mind.

She knocked outside his doors and was greeted by silence. She knew he was in there as they had just broken from dinner and she practically followed him down to the dungeons. When she knocked a second time and didn't receive a response she took matters into her own hands. She conjured her Patronus and sent it through the door after him.

He was sitting at his desk in his laboratory trying to block out the knocking on his door. He felt her following him after dinner and he was not in the mood to have "the talk" with her. He assumed she would simply give up after the few attempts but when a silver misty cat came and hopped on his desk and started striding back and forth he put his quill down and looked up saying "What is it?"

It was amazing how even her Patronus could take on that haughty look of hers. It stared straight in his eyes saying "come to the door you coward"

It was the use for the word Coward that really got under his skin and caused him to storm through his laboratory and swing open the door in a rage.

When the door flew open she could see the anger in his body so she put on a polite face and asked "May I come in?"

He open the door wider for her and she entered. As soon as the door was shut he said to her "Explain yourself?"

That was all it took to get her temper flared and she raised he voice saying "Explain myself? I think you're the one that needs to do some explaining!"

Severus rarely lost a battle of words and mostly because he could deliver the worst insults in a calm manner. He turned his back to her saying in a flippant way "I guess you haven't found any other young man to use as your sex toy"

"How dare you" she said as she marched towards him. She grabbed his arm to make him face her. "Are you sure you are a young man Severus because you acting like a petulant child!"

"And how should I act, Minerva. It's over, we both took what we needed from one another".

She dropped his arm and crossed hers across her chest saying "What exactly does that mean?"

He got in her face as he said "You try to always play the morally righteous Minerva McGonagall. Always so fair and just when deep down what you really want is to feel anger and hatred. You said it yourself that sleeping with the enemy is how you fulfill your need"

Minerva reacted before she thought through her actions and she slapped him across the face saying "you bastard" and stormed out.

 _A/N: Reviews are very welcome and motivation. Thanks a bunch for reading._


	9. Chapter 9: Fire Whisky

**Chapter 9: Firewhisky**

Minerva didn't apologize and neither did Severus so the next few weeks they were as cold to one another as the weather outside. November rains blew into a cold December and the chill was felt in any room they were in together. No words were spoken but they had a mutual understanding to avoid one another at all costs. Severus stayed out of the staff room and let her have that domain and Minerva avoided giving detentions or reporting on any Slytherin students simply to avoid having to speak with him. At the dining table of the great hall they started to sit at opposite ends and with Albus gone more often than he was there, they didn't feel the need to pretend that they were getting along. Very little changed until Slughorns Christmas party in late December.

Slughorn had invited his favorite students, known as the "Slug Club" to a special holiday party. Select teachers were invited as well but as Minerva disapproved of Professors Slughorn showing preferential treatment to his favorite students, so she was not going to be in attendance. Severus usually didn't go to such events either but he needed a chance to talk to Draco Malfoy alone. Since the necklace incident he had twice ordered Draco to his office and Draco simply ignored the request. He needed to let Draco know that he knew what he was trying to do and he wanted to offer his assistance. In that way he could prevent Draco hurting anyone else and he could arrange things with Dumbledore so that they could control when and how he dies. Preferable just before the poison takes complete control over his Dumbledore's body.

Severus drank a few fire whiskeys at the party, he usually didn't meddle with whiskey, getting drunk and playing the role of spy was not a safe game. He liked to keep his wits about him but the last month had been stressful to say the least. At the party he finally got a chance to talk to Draco and the end result was not good. He was determined to carry out the dark lords instructions alone in some vain attempt to raise his status with the dark lord.

Severus was now back in his room and he continued drinking more and more fire whiskey. He was getting himself good and drunk to help forget about his predicament. At one in the morning he found himself sitting at his desk, parchment and quill in front of him, thinking about Lily. He wanted to confess, he wanted to write it all down, to beg her forgiveness for all he did and all that he has become. He knew he wouldn't' actually put quill to paper but he was sorely tempted.

He started to doodle on the parchment simply to prevent himself from writing any words. He wasn't aware of what he was drawing. After few minutes he looked down and was surprised by what he saw. His parchment was intersected by a string of Celtic knots in the same pattern that was tattooed on Minerva's body.

He jumped up and made a snap decision. He needed to see her. He could apologize at least for his behavior towards her. He made his way through the castle to her rooms. It wasn't any easy journey as he was really quite drunk. When he made it safely to her door he had to knock multiple times before he got an answer.

Minerva woke from the first knock but took a few moments to look for her dressing gown and debate whether to put up her hair. She rarely slept with her hair down but lately she has been trying to cheer herself up from the funk she was in. She was hurt beyond words over Severus treatment of her and it made her feel old, ugly, and unloved. Now she had taken to wearing a beautiful silk nightgown to bed and combing her hair out every night to help her feel like a beautiful woman again. It was something for her and not for anyone else so she was in a bit of a panic when there was a knock at her door.

It was a persistent knock which made her fear there was a dire emergency so she ditched her search for her dressing gown and ran to the door. She opened it wide to see Severus leaning against the door jam barely holding himself up.

He looked up at her with an expression of awe and wonderment. Her hair was cascading past her shoulders and her spaghetti strapped nightgown was clinging in all the right places. He let go of the door jamb while his eyes were drinking in her body and he practically fell over the threshold.

She ran to him assuming he was badly hurt and practically carried him inside. "Serverus, are you okay!" she asked as she let him drape his arm across her shoulders as she assisted him towards the couch.

It wasn't until he started to speak that she realized he was drunk. "I need" he started to say as he sat down on the couch but his momentum caused him to start leaning the other way. He grabbed for her to keep from falling and her instincts to help won over and she reached out to steady him. "He grabbed her rather hard and practically pulled her down. She put her arm out on the couch to steady herself as he said "I mean, I want… to talk to you"

She sat down giving him quite a wide berth saying in an accusing tone "Severus, your drunk!"

He put his hand out as if pressing down an invisible object in front of him saying "Perhaps"

Her expression of concern changed quickly to one of disappointment. Her eyes got wider, her mouth poutier, and her chin pushed forward.

He always loved that face on her. He loved watching her try and maintain the stern Professor look when he knew deep down she was anything but. His drunk, blunt, honest thoughts seem to have taken over his mouth as he said "It always turns me on when you give me that look"

She sighed and stood up with an exacerbated look started saying "I'll get you a blanket and a potion and if you still want to talk in the morning, I'll be here"

As she started to walk away he got a view of her silk nightgown stretched taut over her ass and all other thoughts seem to vacate his brain. She walked back over with a blanket and a pillow and as she laid the pillow down, he laid down on his back so he could watch her every move. She covered him with a blanket and sat on the edge of the couch "I'll leave a potion on the table for you to take when you wake"

She stood up and he reached out his hands. She let him touch her fingers lightly. He ran his hand to his wrist saying "I miss you"

She shook her head no saying "you miss touching me, that is different"

"I do miss touching you" he said as he ran his fingers back down her arm and laced his fingers with hers. Then he surprised her by saying "but I really miss you"

She smiled despite herself but she wasn't going to let his drunk rantings make up for the pain she had been feeling for weeks because of him. She pulled her hand away saying "good night Severus"

She made her way back to her room and hid in her bathroom to compose herself. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and was angry at herself for the smile that was plastered on her face. She could never hide her emotions and it felt really good to hear those words from his lips. Unfortunately, she knew that he would never acknowledge that sentiment in a sober state.

She opened her medicine chest and took out a headache potion and decanted it into a small phial. She brought it back to the living room and was not surprised to find him fast asleep on her couch. She watched him breathe for a moment and then placed the phial on the table. She then leaned over a placed a small kiss on his lips saying "I miss you too Severus"

As she made her way back to her room he opened his eyes to watch her leave. He brushed his fingers to his lips to trace the place where she kissed him. Then he smiled, close his eyes, and let Morpheus take over.

 **xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Severus woke the next morning and was completely disoriented. He couldn't immediately comprehend where he was until he looked down and saw he was covered with a tartan blanket. _Scots and their damn tartan!_ He thought.

He sat up and realized that was a very bad idea and laid right back down. His head was pounding. He turned slightly and saw a small phial. Attached to the phial was a note in her handwriting that said

 _Severus_

 _Drink me_

 _M._

Short, sweet, and to the point. He popped the top of the vial and drank down the potion in one gulp. It was his own concoction so he knew it would work well and fast. He closed his eyes and could feel the pressure leaving his head. After a minute he stood up and felt a lot better.

He was embarrassed about his actions the night before but he was at least grateful that he remembered all of them. He was especially grateful of the memory of her appearance as she answered the door. Hair long and wavy, one shoulder strap of her nightgown fallen down and resting against her arm, the way her nightgown lay long and tight hugging her breast, hips, and butt. The thought wasn't helping his morning erection.

He wasn't sure if she was awake or not and he wasn't sure if he wanted to meet her just yet. He slipped the note in his pocket, folded the blanket, placed it on top of the pillow, and then exited her room quickly.

Severus's headache may have gone away but his mind was working overdrive. As he started his morning routine he couldn't get her image of her out of his head. He also kept reliving the chaste kiss she had placed on his lips.

 _Why did I end it?_ He asked himself. It made no logically sense. He had to deprive himself of every other thing why did he deprive himself of her. He was living a lie everywhere he looked and it was driving him mad. Why couldn't he allow himself just a little bit of happiness. The brief time they spent together made him happy. I wasn't just the sex, which he wouldn't deny was significant part of the arrangement, but most of all her company made him happy. He wanted that back and he knew that it needed to start with an apology from him.

An hour later he was showered and dressed and made his way to the great hall. She was seated at the far end of the head table and as he walked behind her he stopped at the open chair next to her asking "May I?"

"Of course" she answered. A little surprised that he was willing to face her so soon after last night.

After he settled in the chair she asked "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Thank you for the potion"

She returned to her plate expecting the conversation to end there. She was surprised when he said "Are you free tonight? I would like an chance to talk… privately"

She thought for a moment before saying "I have a bunch of essays to read but I should be free after 10. You can stop by then"

He nodded his ascent and was busy fixing his tea. The rest of breakfast was eaten in a comfortable silence. They missed each other at lunch and dinner due to opposing schedules so they didn't see each other again until later that evening. She stayed dressed in her usual high neck dark green gown but had discarded her robes for the evening and was prepared to look busy while waiting for his arrival.

He didn't leave her waiting too long as at about one minute past ten Severus came knocking. When she answered his face was full of disappointment. "What is the matter?" she asked

He smirked not making any attempts to hide his feelings saying "I was hoping you would have changed into last evenings outfit?"

She rolled her eyes at him as she turned to walk back into her rooms. "I would offer you a drink but I would imagine you had your fill last evening" she said as she turned to face him.

"I have, but please, feel free to indulge"

"Hmmm, are you trying to get me tipsy before our conversation? I should warn you, I am Scottish and it will take more than a few drams to make me tipsy."

"Tipsy, no. But, it wouldn't hurt to have a few to take the edge off" he suggested.

"Are you suggesting I have sharp edges, Severus?" she said. He could sense a little flirtation in her voice. He took that as a good sign.

He took a few steps in her direction saying "Well, while you do have some very sensational curses, I don't think it will be a surprise for you to discover that you also have quite a few sharp edges"

She raised one eyebrow at his comments but didn't admit or refute his statement. She did enjoy a return to a sparky filled dialogue with him but she turned the conversation back to the point at hand "now what is it that you would like to speak to me about?"

He took a few more steps in her direction so that he was standing about a foot away. "I'm sorry" he said

When he didn't elaborate, she looked him in the eye saying "sorry for what, exactly"

"I'm sorry for what I said"

"Oh, you mean you are sorry that you accused me of using you as a sex toy or are you sorry that you accused me of sleeping with you to release some inner unresolved hatred issues I have"

"Both" was his only response.

See rolled her eyes yet again at him saying "I think I will have that fire whisky" and she turned her back on him.

She was grateful for the apology, it did mean a lot to her but she wanted to set a standard that he couldn't just flake out whenever he wanted and start throwing barbs her way. She took a sip of her whiskey and let the burn work its way down her throat. Admittedly, it immediately dulled at least some of her edges.

"Apology accepted" she said softly, without turning around.

He walked up behind her and pressed his hips to her bum as placed a soft kiss to her neck. She whipped around as she pulled away saying "I accepted your apology, Severus, I didn't invite you back into my bed!"

If she wasn't so angry she would have started laughing at the face he pulled, Hi mimicked a whiny child as he said "Why not?"

"It's called consequence, Severus, you may have heard the concept before. You can't simply pick up where you left off. You have gone over two months treating me like I was a blast-ended skwert that needed to be avoided at all costs!"

"Well, you haven't exactly been extending a wand in my direction either!" he countered.

"Precisely!" she said, as he inadvertently helped her make her point. "It is going to take time to repair our friendship, Severus."

He grabbed for her hand saying "Minerva, I would prefer that we repair more than just our friendship"

"Well we need to start somewhere and I prefer we start there."

"Fine" he said. She expressed a bit of shock at his easy acceptance but was less shocked when he followed that with "Minerva, as your friend, I would like to request permission to sleep over"

She raised her glass for a sip then said with a haughty tone "Request denied"

"You know, Minerva, I am an expert potion maker and I could simply slip you a draught to make you succumb to my every wish"

"and I am sure you know that I am a world class witch and can transform you into a spider faster than you can spell sex"

"Fine, square one it is. Can I at least get a kiss goodnight?"

"Go back to your rooms Severus" she said as she pushed him gently in the chest in the direction of the door.

When he made it to the door her turned around and took one last look at her. "Good night Minerva" he said with sincerity.

"Good night, Serverus. And pleasant dreams"


	10. Chapter 10: The Wager

**a/n: Thank you for still hanging with me!**

 **Chapter 10: the Wager**

The next few weeks were filled with similar banter but Serverus still hadn't gotten past "square one" and he was beginning to feel a certain level of frustration. While he was deeply enjoying their time together (they were currently in a heated chess game in the staff room) he wanted more from their relationship.

With Dumbledore gone for most of the winter Severus was able to distance himself from all the stresses that usually kept him awake at night and as a result his snarkiness was less bitter and more playful when he was with her.

As his rook just beheaded her knight he decided to approach the situation of their lack of a physical relationship from a different angle. "The Slytherin Quidditch team has a big match with Ravenclaw this weekend, do you care to place a friendly bet on the outcome?"

She wasn't overly surprised at the offer of a bet as they tended to both get a little too into their respective house's Quidditch matches but usually they restricted themselves to Griffindor-Slytherin games.

She moved her pawn on the chess board and while no spectacular death befell any of his pieces, if all went according to plan, she was two moves away from checkmate. She was therefore only partially paying attention to his offer. "Sure, I'll wager. What are the terms?"

He quickly moved his queen out of harm's way while at the same time knowing that he was setting her up for victory. "If Ravenclaw wins, you get to go the rest of the year without any pressure from me to accelerate our current...situation."

"And if Slytherin wins" she asked as she made her final play announcing "check mate!"

Severus pauses to look around, "I challenge you to a rematch, in my rooms, with you wearing your long pick nightgown and your hair down."

Still feeling euphoric and playful from her win on the chess board she looked up at him over the top of her spectacles, tightened her lips to clip the flirtatious smile that was threatening to come out, and said "deal"

Severus didn't even attempt to hide the devilish smile that spread across his face.

XXXXX

The weekend arrived quickly and Minerva made her way to the Quidditch pitch. She settled in the open seat next to Severus. His overall demeanor among the rest of the staff led to very few people seeking his company outside of meals and staff meetings so she usually had no trouble finding an open seat next to him.

After she settled in, Severus turned his head in her direction and leaned in closer whispering in her ear with his deep, sultry voice "When Ravenclaw loses, I would like to have that rematch tonight"

She looked straight out onto the pitch, fearful of looking into his lust filled eyes. " **IF** Slytherin wins, I will hold up my end of the bargain"

Later that evening as they were eating dinner in the great hall, she watched the Slytherin team celebrating their win and she tried to keep her eyes averted from Severus's but she kept feeling his stare and was hard pressed to stop herself from looking over at him and making eye contact. She was rather certain Madam Pomfrey noticed the "eye sex" they kept having during the meal.

She knew what tonight meant, it was not just about a nightgown and her hair, and it definitely had nothing to do with chess. Tonight, if all went according to Severus's plan, they would reestablish the relationship they had started last year. While she would never admit it to Severus, she was quite looking forward to the evening.

Around 9pm she knocked softly on his door. He answered swiftly but scrunched up his face in a scowl when he saw her usual attire. She was wearing her high neck dark green gown and still had on her black robes. When she saw his face she couldn't help the little laugh that came out of her mouth "Relax Severus, I will change here" She walked into his room and headed straight for the loo saying "I wasn't about to walk the corridors wearing nothing but a silk nightgown!"

Severus had been unable to think of anything else all day. He would have sacked his whole Quidditch team if they blew today's game. He busied himself with pouring some drinks and sat down to wait. Then stood up to wait. Then ran his hands through his hair. _Merlin's beard what is taking so long_ he thought.

Minerva took her time to change her clothes and let down her hair. She brushed her hair over and over until it was both smooth and supple. Her black hair was now peppered with gray but the effect only added to her dramatic look. Her hair ran down to her breasts and the combination of the hair and the nightgown did make her feel sexy.

She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and then slowly made her way into his sitting rooms. At the sound of footsteps he looked from the window to the door and almost dropped his drink in awe. His mouth hung open slightly as he drank in the site. She was even more beautiful then he remembered.

Minerva gave him a shy smile and could feel a little heat rise to her face. She walked over to him and reached out to grab the drink from his hand. As she took a sip she said "We are not going to play chess, are we?"

He removed the glass from her hands and placed it on the side table without taking his eyes off of her. He reached up and grabbed a strand of her hair and let his fingers slide down her hair till it reached the very tip. "There are lots of names for what is about to happen tonight and to my knowledge, it has never been referred to as chess"

She smiled and placed a hand on his other arm, mostly to stop herself from starting to take his clothes off. He was in a short sleeve black tee shirt and black trousers and she couldn't' wait to get him out of them.

After he caressed her hair a second time he let his fingers continue down the side of her gown barely touching the material. He ran his fingers over her waist and down to her hip. She closed her eyes as she fought the urge to shiver.

He took a step closer and he brought his lips to her face and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Without losing contact with her skin he moved to kiss the corner of her mouth. When he moved to center his lips over hers she opened her mouth and captured his top lip in a kiss. He moaned slightly and she brought her hands to his cheeks as the kiss deepened.

He placed both his hands on her hips and ran them over her curves to her waist, up her body to the sides of her breast. She was already aching for him to take them in his hand. Instead, he moved his right hand to her shoulder strap and pushed it to the side as he moved his mouth from her lips to her neck and then her shoulder. His butterfly kisses were soft and sensual.

In the brief sexual relationship they had in the past they generally fell into two modes, the fast and furious or the slow and sensual. Tonight, Severus wanted to take his time and enjoy every moment.

After he finished with her shoulder he brought his hand up to her hair and wrapped it around his fingers as he began kissing her mouth again. Her body was tingling all over and she needed to feel him. She turned her fingers down and ran the palm of her hand down over his erection. When she made a move to repeat the action her grabbed her wrists. As he lifted her hand he tightened his grip, pulled her even closer and then in one quick, smooth movement, he swept her off her feet and started to carry her to his bedroom.

She let out a small scream saying. "Severus, put me down!"

The last two times he had lifted her she was injured and barely conscious. Now she was a little harder to hold as she was squirming all over the place. He placed her back on her feet and before she had time to get her bearings he picked her back up fireman style with her belly on his shoulder and her head hanging down the backside of him.

"I am not kidding, put me down now!" she yelled as he clapped his hand on her ass to keep her secure. When they made it to her room he dropped her a little less gracefully and she bounced slightly on his mattress. Her hair was disheveled, her nightgown strap had fallen down again, and the hem of her nightgown had worked its way up to her mid-thigh. It was the most seductive sight he could possibly imagine.

He climbed on top of her and his plan of slow seduction flew out the window as he drove his mouth hard into hers. She responded in kind and wrapped her long legs around his as she started to grab for the hem of his shirt.

He broke away long enough to allow her to remove his shirt and then drove his tongue as deep as he could into her mouth. They were both moaning while their hands grappled for purchase. She grabbed his ass and she pulled him into her trying to grind his erection into her body. He closed his eyes and grabbed the sheets tightly on either side of her as he let the sensation take over his body.

When he opened his eyes his face was inches away hovering over her. Her lips were red, her faced was flushed, and her eyes were full of lust. He lowered his head to her ear as he whispered "I need you, Minerva"

She ran her hand up his back and whispered back "then take me Severus"

 **a/n: I would love to hear your thoughts!**


	11. Chapter 11: Another Knot

**Chapter 11** : **Another Knot and Shocking News**

March fell upon the Castle. Albus was spending less and less time at Hogwarts and Minerva was spending more and more time with Severus. It was a Saturday morning and they were lying together in his bed debating on the importance of getting up for breakfast. They rarely spent the entire night in each other's rooms so it was a luxury to wake up with his arm wrapped around her waist and his chest laying flush against her back.

She rolled onto her back so that she was lying in his arms. Her movements exposed the Celtic knot tattoo that was peeking out of the hem of her nightgown. Severus immediately began to trace it with his fingers. She loved the feeling of his fingertips caressing her skin.

"I want you to tattoo me" he said in his sleepy morning voice which was even more sultry than usual.

She was surprised by his request, "Why?" she asked

He rolled onto his back and stared at his ceiling trying to find the right words. "I am a complicated man living in a complicated situation. There are things I can't share with you. Things that are too dangerous for you to know." He paused and turned his head towards her but she stayed mute and let him continue.

"I don't know how much longer I will be able to live in two worlds. I want proof, somewhere on my body that this is real" he said softly.

Minerva stretched an arm out to him and ran it up is bare belly to his chest. She traced an invisible line that mirrored her tattoo on his chest. She then cupped his check saying "I assure you that I am very real"

He rested his hand on her hip and in a pleading voice said "will you do this for me?"

She nodded her head yes and then placed a gentle kiss on his lips. When he got up to change a weird sensation came over her. It felt like closure. She suddenly got very cold and scared and she pulled the covers up to her chin and curled herself into a fetal position.

XXXXX

During the day Minerva made her way to Hogsmeade to purchase the tattoo ink that she would need. It was a special magical ink that when you placed the tip of your wand in the vial, your wand edge became needle sharp. Then you simply traced the wand tip along the skin and the needle edge and ink would cut into the skin to make the tattoo.

Severus was lying on his back in his boxer shorts as Minerva made the last minute preparations. As she sat on the bed next to him she asked "where do you want it to start"

He reached up to touch the spot on her chest where her tattoo began "Right here" and then he traced his finger over her nipple down to her pubic area.

"Let's see how the chest goes before you decide just how far down you want to go" she said with a smile.

Minerva took her time, not to hurt him but to make sure her design was perfect. Severus stayed calm and outside of a few grimaces, he didn't seem to be in too much pain. He kept his eyes focused on her the entire time and Minerva found the experience hypnotic.

When she was done she was happy with her handiwork. She rubbed a soothing potion on his new tattoo and she said goodnight. He would find it painful to move in the night so she wanted to give him the space, both mentally and physically, that he would need.

The next morning Poppy and Minerva were sitting in the staff room enjoying a tea break, she was still the only staff member to suspect a relationship between she and Severus.

"Where is Severus this evening?" Poppy asked.

Minerva knew that Poppy had witnessed the chaste kiss that Severus gave her in the infirmary last summer but she was still not comfortable sharing what she and Severus had with anyone else. For his safety and her sanity. "Probably in his lab, why do you ask?

"Just curious, he has been spending much more time in the staff room lately so I was surprised he wasn't here?" What Poppy was actually saying is that whenever Minerva was in the staff room then Severus seemed to appear as well.

Minerva gave her dear friend "the look" that said that she knew what Poppy was getting on about. Poppy gave her a look right back that said fine don't tell me but I know you two are in it up to your eyebrows. They both smiled at one another and moved on to other topics.

A few minutes later Flitwich busted into the staff room yelling for Poppy to return to the infirmary at once. Ron Weasley had been poisoned!

The staff moved into crisis mode. Minerva told Flitwich to fetch Severus and she headed to the headmasters office. When she returned to the infirmary Ron was unconscious in bed. Harry was on one side of the bed while Hermione was on the other. Hermione held Ron's hand and spoke soft comforting words to a sleeping Ron.

Thankfully Albus was actually in the castle that day and when he finished getting the story from Slughorn and Harry, Minerva saw him share a pointed look with Severus. They both knew that Draco had made another poor attempt to "off" the headmaster. Severus didn't need to use legilimency to know that Albus was reminding him that the time was near and he was relying on Severus to complete his mission. It felt like a needle being pushed into the happy bubble that he allowed himself to believe could exist in his world.

Before he could fall too far down that rabbit hole he was pushed from behind as Ron's girlfriend, some fifth year Gryffindor, came running to Ron's bedside. She and Hermione began to argue. Just what Severus needed to complete his mood, some Gryffindor teenage love triangle drama. He quickly returned to his dungeons and was not terribly surprised to sense Minerva following him.

She watched his gate and determination as he descended the stairs two at a time. She was about to follow but then she recalled that last time she tried to disturb him after a student accident and she didn't want to repeat the events from the fall. She turned away and headed back to her chambers.

Over the next few weeks she noticed that he was once again moody and gloomy. He still came to her bed and she to his but the visits became less and less frequent and the conversations briefer. They would trace each other's tattoo, make love, lay tangled in the sheets, but they had almost completely stopped talking. Severus was slipping deeper and deeper into a depressive state and Minerva was unable to pull him out of it.

By May they had stopped sleeping together entirely.

There was no colossal fight or a decision to purposely avoid one another but they had morphed quickly from lovers and friends, to something else that Minerva couldn't really describe. It was something akin to mourning.

They saw each other frequently enough with meals and Saturday Apparation lessons for the fifth years but the longing glances, the stolen caresses, the nights in each other's beds was a thing of the past.

Minerva was starting to feel old and run down. That is what she kept telling herself when she was having trouble finding the energy to get through the day. By the middle of May she started to get splitting headaches and finally decided to confide in Poppy how she was feeling.

Poppy ran some tests and asked Minerva to come by after dinner for the results. When she entered Poppy's office and Minerva saw the look on Poppy's face, she knew something was wrong.

"What is it?" she said

"Please sit, Minerva"

That wasn't a good sign. Minerva began to panic "just tell me, I need to know!"

Poppy's face turned from concern to a brief smile as she said "Minerva, you are pregnant."


End file.
